Motorola’s latest Edge flagship brings high-end specs with a wooden back

Motorola has announced its latest Edge 50 series, and the highest-end model in the lineup brings a wooden back.

The Moto Edge 50 Ultra brings back the wooden back design that was popular on the Moto X from the last decade. Phones with wooden backs are a rarity these days, but believe it or not, wood was a common choice for electronics back in the mid-20th century.

It’s unclear if the wood-clad Moto Edge 50 Ultra will be more durable or resistant to scratches. But, it might be less prone to fingerprints, which can be a nuisance on smartphones with glass backs.

Motorola also offers the smartphone in two vegan leather colorways – Forest Grey and Peach Fuzz (Pantone’s Color of the Year 2024).

Motorola

The Edge 50 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3, which is believed to be only slightly behind the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that powers the OnePlus 12 and Galaxy S24 Ultra. It is offered in 12GB or 16GB (LPDDR5X) RAM and 512GB or 1TB UFS 4.0 storage.

Elsewhere, the smartphone brings a 50MP main camera sensor, along with a 64MP periscope and a 50MP Ultrawide. There’s a 6.7-inch OLED with up to 144Hz refresh rate, a touch sampling rate of up to 360Hz, and a peak brightness of 2,500 nits.

The Ultra has an IP68 rating to withstand full water immersion. It has a 4,500mAh battery with 125W TurboPower charging over USB and 50W wireless.

The Edge series also includes the Moto Edge 50 Pro and Edge 50 Fusion, which feature Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 and 6 Gen 1 processors, respectively. While the Pro model boasts an IP68 rating and wireless charging, the Edge 50 Fusion lacks the latter feature.

The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra will debut at €999, while the Edge 50 Pro will be priced at €699, and the Edge 50 Fusion at €399. These models will be available in select regions across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania. Motorola intends to extend the availability of the Edge Series to North America later this year.